Alicia Silverstone opens up about her ‘very complicated’ experience with fame after Clueless

Alicia Silverstone opened up about her ‘very complicated’ experience with fame after Clueless in a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter.

The actress, 46 – who recently slipped back into her iconic role of Cher Horowitz for a Super Bowl commercial – spoke about not being prepared for superstardom when the 1995 cult classic became a massive hit.

‘When Clueless came out, it really shifted,’ said Alicia. ‘I had been the girl from Crush, then I was the Aerosmith chick, and then, after that, I was Cher.’

Silverstone explained: ‘It was very complicated and I don’t think I knew how to manage it. I didn’t have the foundation, the good tools to deal with it, I wasn’t prepared for it in any way, shape or form. 

‘I really had no idea what was happening,’ added the ’90s It Girl, ‘and it didn’t feel comfortable.’

Silverstone went on to discuss the difficult balance between ‘being an activist, a mother and an actress.’

‘It’s isn’t easy, being an activist, a mother and an actress all at the same time. But I’m doing my best,’ she told THR.

‘I continue to do speaking engagements about health and our earth, all of that is really meaningful to me. 

‘The most important thing to me is being fully present with my son. As for acting, I’ll keep finding a way to dabble, to stay in there.’

Silverstone’s career in Hollywood gained steam in 1993 with her thriller The Crush, in which she played a mentally-unstable 14-year-old girl who develops a terrifying fixation on her neighbor. 

The Crush earned Alicia the MTV Movie Award for Best Breakthrough Performance, and she followed it up by appearing in the classic music video for Aerosmith’s hit song Cryin’. 

Firmly established as a teen idol, Silverstone’s next project would see her rocket onto the A-list. 

Widely considered to be one of the greatest teen films of all time, Clueless became a sleeper hit upon its release, raking in $56.1 million at the box office and earning critical acclaim. 

Superstardom: Alicia spoke about not being prepared for superstardom when the 1995 cult classic became a massive hit. ‘When Clueless came out, it really shifted,’ she said. ‘I had been the girl from Crush, then I was the Aerosmith chick, and then, after that, I was Cher’ 

The success of Clueless earned Alicia a rare $10 million, multi-picture production deal with Columbia Pictures. 

Alicia’s company, First Kiss Productions, developed a star vehicle for her with 1997’s Excess Baggage. 

But the crime-comedy was not a hit at the box office, making only $14.5 million and earning mediocre reviews. 

The failure of Excess Baggage, coupled with her performance as Batgirl in the disastrous Batman and Robin, led to a career decline in the early aughts. 

Taking a step back from the spotlight, the former teen queen focused on activism and raising a family.

She married musician Christopher Jarecki, 46, in 2005 and gave birth to their son Bear in 2011.   

The pair’s 13-year marriage ended in 2018, but they appear to be on friendly terms, as Alicia recently shared a rare picture of her and Jarecki with their son. 

A vegan since 1998, Alicia’s passion for animal rights recently motivated her to pose nude in support of Peta’s latest campaign. 

Silverstone explained to THR: ‘It was very complicated and I don’t think I knew how to manage it. I didn’t have the foundation, the good tools to deal with it, I wasn’t prepared for it in any way, shape or form’

Uncomfortable: ‘I really had no idea what was happening,’ added the ’90s It Girl, ‘and it didn’t feel comfortable’

The writer/director of Clueless, Amy Heckerling, spoke to People in 2020 about how she admired Silverstone for how she handled massive fame at such a young age.

‘…I love her,’ said Heckerling, ‘she’s just so sweet. And she’s so committed to so many good causes. And the way the world was reacting to her and what she could have turned into and what she is, it’s just completely opposite.’

Alicia had a slightly different opinion when she spoke to The Guardian in 2020 about ‘being famous.’

‘I was so overwhelmed by being famous because I was such a young girl and it was never really my intention.’

She went on to speak about the double-edged sword of having freedom and power so early in her life and career: ‘I think I probably missed some emotional steps that needed to happen in a normal situations of development.

‘But I also jumped light years ahead in other ways. It’s sort of a combo platter. You gain some and you lose some. I probably behaved not as well as I could have at times,’ she added. ‘Maybe I was too young to even notice.’

Late last month, Silverstone donned Cher’s instantly-recognizable, yellow plaid skirt suit to recreate an iconic moment from Clueless.

The star played with a piece of gum just like her character did during the scene where she was giving a speech in class. ‘I’m just gonna leave this here,’ read her cheeky caption.

Finding balance: Silverstone went on to discuss the difficult balance between ‘being an activist, a mother and an actress.’ She told THR, ‘It isn’t easy, being an activist, a mother and an actress all at the same time. But I’m doing my best’

Cher returns: Late last month, Silverstone donned Cher’s instantly-recognizable, yellow plaid skirt suit to recreate an iconic moment from Clueless

Iconic and quotable scene: The Golden Globe-nominated star played with a piece of gum just like her character did during a scene in the film – which debuted back in July 19, 1995